Your Relief Blog

For parents, there’s a unique joy that comes with sending your child off to school, there’s gratification in seeing your child begin to stand on their own two feet. But when your child has allergies, you may also encounter some unique worries and concerns.

 Thankfully, there are a few steps parents, schools, and children can take to help ensure your kids stay allergy-safe at school.

Tip #1: Communicate with Your Child’s School

Meet with teachers and school staff regarding your child’s allergies, especially if those allergies can cause severe reactions. (Let’s be real: it’s all too easy for emails to get lost or missed–so in person meetings are better for ensuring understanding.)

You can also discuss creating an action plan with the school nurse. Make sure to provide the school with all the medications your child may need (and accurate instructions to go along with them). This is something your child’s allergist can help prepare you for.

Tip #2: Educate Your Child

Even young children are good at learning important information. Your child may experience allergy symptoms in a situation where you aren’t there–which means the more they are able to advocate for themselves, the better.

• Help your child recognize the symptoms of an allergic reaction. You can talk about what may happen (or what has happened in the past).
• Explain how self-advocacy works, why it’s important, and why they should speak up about their allergies.
• Make sure your child knows who to call in cases of emergency (or where this information can be located).

Tip #3: Provide Allergy-Free Food (Including Lunches)

It will surprise no parent that kids are often hungry! One of the best ways to help ensure your child doesn’t accidentally eat allergen-contaminated food is to provide plenty of food yourself.

• Pack lunches and plenty of snacks.
• Inspect labels to ensure impacted allergies are not in the food products you select. There’s a ton of information on these labels, much of it mandated by food safety regulations. But you have to know how to read them. (And make sure you know the difference between “Contains” and “May Contain” labels.)
• Avoid cross contamination when preparing your child’s snacks. For example, don’t use your peanut-butter knife to cut your child’s sandwich if your child has a peanut allergy.

Prepare–and Communicate

For parents and children alike, staying safe with your allergies at school can be accomplished with a little preparation. This also means practicing good communication–staying in touch with the school about what your child needs can make a huge difference.

Staying proactive can help ensure your child’s safety–and your peace of mind. Have questions about allergies, school, and kids? Schedule an appointment at Dakota Allergy & Asthma today!